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Vermicomposting project announced best in Ghana

The ceremony, held at the Movenpick Ambassador Hotel in Accra on Thursday, saw Mr. Kwasi Boadu Ntiamoah claim the 19,941.50 Ghanaian Cedi - GH₵ (5,000 EUR) prize at stake, as his project on “The use of vermicompost from organic food waste as a potential treat for topsoil in restoring Biodiversity at quarry site reclamation“ was adjudged the best.

This is not the first success for Kwasi Boadu Ntiamoah as his project also won the first place in the Public Vote contest with total number of 21,355 votes.

His closest competitor Reuben Danso Mintah from the University of Mines and Technology placed second with his project on “Protecting Communities from Quarry Dust using pennisetum purpureum as a dust barrier to promote Biodiversity in a Mining Site ” and took home 11,691.90 GH₵ (3,000 EUR).

Millicent Amekugbe from the Department of Animal Biology and Conservation Science at the University of Ghana won the third place and amount of 5,982.4 GH₵ (1,500 EUR) with her project “Implications of Edge Effects as a tool in assisting ecological succession.”

Morten Gade, Managing Director of GHACEM, applauded the 5 finalists for showing professionalism and dedication towards their various projects and particularly hailed the overall best winner and hoped the project emerges best globally at the International Award Ceremony which will be held on 9th December in Prague, Czech Republic.

“As a responsible company that gives true meaning to government's local Content Policy, Ghacem will continue to mine responsibly and ensure that it looks for innovative ways of restoring degraded lands after mining,“ noted Mr. Gade.

Present at the event were high level executives including the Deputy Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), Hon. Bernice Adiku Heloo, who represented the sector Minister as the Guest speaker, and Hon. Nii Osah Mills, the Minister for Land and Natural Resources.

Delivering the address on behalf of the Sector Minister of MESTI, Hon. Bernice Adiku Heloo commended Ghacem and its mother company, HeidelbergCement for their contribution to Ghana's socio-economic development through the QLA initiative which seeks to ensure environmental sustainability.

“Ghana's economy depends mostly on Agriculture, Forestry and mining which rely directly on the exploitation of our natural resources as such efforts aimed at sustainably managing the environment after these mining activities to create a win-win situation deserves special commendation,” said Hon. Bernice Adiku Heloo.

She also urged other mining companies to follow the Ghacem example by doing well to the environment through the introduction of innovative ways to reclaim land and promote biodiversity after their activities to safeguard the environment.

National winners of the Quarry Life Award 2014 in Ghana: